548 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. ], j 898 . 
to be seen occasionally; but they sell at about 
times their value represented in paper — a twenty 
milreis gold coin can be sold for ircm seventy to 
seventy five milreis in paper I For a longtime it 
could not be seen that it was the excessive issue of 
aper money that had lowered exchange. The popular 
elief was “Oh it is the Engli^-h Banks that are 
bringing it down in older to make large dividends.” 
The Government understand the reason now, for 
they want to sell or rent the State Eailways, and 
apply the proceeds to the redemption of paper money. 
In the same sort of local arguing the present low price 
of coffee is not due to overproduction, but specula- 
tion and the grasping policy of the foreign merchants. 
This fallacy is beginning to be exploded too. 
This leads me to the question of 
COFFEE 
to which 1 really intended to dedicate this epistle 
but was led by the current of circumstances to go 
off at a tangent, on other subjects not so interest- 
ing to your readers. 
Coffee has been pouring into Santos and Rio at 
quite an unprecedented rate. Some days as much 
as 50,000 sacks (of 132 lb.) at the former and 30,000 
Backs at the latter. For the season ending 30th 
June of this year (crop 1896-97) the shipments 
amounted in round numbers to 8,-500.000 sacks (of 
132 lb.) — That is to say 5,500,000 from Santos, and 
3,000,000 from Rio — against 7,200,000 sacks from the 
two ports for season 1895-96, and 6,600,000 for 1894-95. 
For the ten years previous — with the expection of 
1891-92 and 1892-93 when the shipments were in round 
numbers 7,300,000 and 6,400,000 sacks respectively— 
the average- — in round numbers — has been 5,500,000 
sacks (of 132 lb.) from the two ports. The effect of 
these heavy crops has been a great fall in the price 
of the product. The greater part of Brazilian coffee 
is shipped to the United States, where it is always 
quoted in cents, and decimals of a cent per lb. Coffee 
there and in Rio it is classed in numbers according 
to quality from No. 1 to 9. The Rio papers quote 
generally from 6 to 9. No. 7 in the average of 
Brazilian Coffee No. 6 is superior and No. 8 is 
inferior. Up till the end of Dec, '96 the price for 
that year was about 12 cts. per lb. for No. 7, and 
11 cts. per lb. may be taken as the average for ten 
years previous to that — fluctuating a good deal but 
seldom falling below that figure. Since January of 
this year the price has continued to fall steadily 
until in November this year No. 7 was quoted in 
New York at 8^ cts. per lb. — and with the prospect 
of a million more sacks from the two ports — this 
increase being from Santos alone— the price is not 
likely to rise. 
With regard to 
THE ESTIMATE POE 1897-98 
opinions differ. A British exporting house telegraphed 
to London a few days ago — the fact being noticed in 
the Rio papers — that the Santos crop for 1897-98 would 
be 6,500,000 sacks (of 132 lb.) Rio which receives coffee 
from Minas Geraes, and Espirito Santo States — in 
addition to that of the State of Rio — will not ship 
less than its average quantity — 3,009,000 sacks. 
The State of Rio gives alternately large and small 
crops and this will be its small crop year, but on the 
other hand new plantations have been extending in 
the two sisters States at a remarkable rate, — justified 
of course by the substantial prices ruling for some 
years previous to this — which will more than make up 
for the yearly diminishing crops of the State of Rio de 
Janeiro. 
Every year about this time (Oct., Nov. and Dec.), 
we see in the newspapers reports of there having been 
during the flowering season too much drought or too 
much rain, which has destroyed a great part of the 
embryo fruit, but somehow the yearly extending 
clearings — especially in the State of Sao Paulo — are 
seldom taken into account. The acreage in Sao Paulo 
of planted coffee has more than doubled during the last 
ten years, and until this check of low prices, and con- 
inability to raise money, new plautatioua 
will still continue to extend, for there in the far West, 
there is any quantity of forest land, and near a 
Railwa3u 
I notice in the new.spapers as referring to what I 
mention above the following — “ A Ccffee Commission 
Agent in Santos, an educated and practical man. who 
has been taking a run through the Coffee Zone, affirms 
in a letter sent to us, that the Planters cannot at pre- 
sent count on anything but a small crop.” 
“A great part of the bloss' m has not set in conse- 
quence of a southerly wind which blew during the 
opening of the flower.” 
The same paper adds a letter from a Planter in the 
interior to a commercial house in the town of Sao 
Paulo : — 
“ The crop of 1898 w’ill be one of the smallest we 
have had since 1860. The flowers of August 
and September are completely lost, a flower is show- 
ing for this month (October), part has already fallen 
and the other part is in spike. It appears the plan- 
tations will flower later, say the end of December and 
January, which will be a great inconvenience to the 
Planter.” 
When I was Coffee Planting in these parts it was n(-t 
customary to count on either too early or too lalo 
flow^ers ; from the later end of September to the 
beginning of November was the flowering season, on 
which to estimate crop. I do not think the seasons 
have changed much since then. 
The question remains — can coffee planting in Brazil 
paj’ at the present low price of the article ? The 
consideration of this must be left to a future com- 
munication. The same as regards the supply of 
Labour. 
A. SCOTT BLACKLAW. 
OUR COMMERCE FOR 1897. 
II.— IMPORTS. 
The fluctuations in Exchange have made busi- 
ness in Imports from sterling countries of a 
somewhat risky nature. An occasional rise or 
fall of one jienny in the rupee brought a dis- 
turbing element among prices, and it may be 
safely assumed that dealers and consumers benc- 
fitted accordingly, to the disadvantage of im- 
porters. Prices locally become depressed with 
any important rise in Exchange, but on the other 
hand when Exchange falls, it takes a considerable 
rime to get prices up again. Business in Im- 
ports is at present much impeded by the tight- 
ness of the money market, and until rates of 
discount are easier sales must be small. 
Cotton Goods. — During the past year the 
tendency of prices of Cotton Goods was down- 
wards and the following figures show the fall in 
the more important qualities 
„ Per Cent. 
Grey shirtings, a fall of .. 7i 
White .. do. ..8 
Prints .. do. ..20 
Coloured woven goods do . . 10 
The fall in prices of prints is partially due to 
importation beyond the Island’s requirements, 
and the losses sustained from recent forced sales 
will no doubt prevent a recurrence of oversup- 
plies. It must be borne in mind that the off- 
take in the Island is a limited one. During 
the first nine months of 1897 there were bonded 
495 cases of printed cottons, as against 362 cases 
during same period of 1896, showing an increase 
last year of nearly 100 per cent. A large crop 
of American cotton (probably the largest on 
record), coupled with every promise of a good 
crop in 1898, has kept prices in Manchester and 
other manufacturing centres at a very low level. 
Manufacturers appear to have bought largely both 
for immediate and forward supplies, and it fol- 
lows that there will be a very large production 
of cotton goods this year at cheap prices, 
